European Brain and Behaviour Society

European Brain and Behaviour Society
Name	European Brain and Behaviour Society
Formation	1968
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Europe
Region served	Europe
Language	English

European Brain and Behaviour Society The European Brain and Behaviour Society is a learned society promoting research on neural mechanisms of behaviour, cognition and affect across species. It connects investigators from clinical and basic settings to foster collaboration among neuroscientists, psychologists and psychiatrists, and interfaces with funding bodies and academic institutions to influence research agendas.

History

The society was founded in 1968 by a cohort of researchers influenced by contemporaries associated with University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London, and Max Planck Society laboratories, and by clinicians from Karolinska Institutet, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut Pasteur, University of Paris, and University of Milan. Early interactions involved figures working alongside investigators linked to James P. Hill Memorial Lecture, Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and European Research Council. Founding members had collaborative ties with groups at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Yale University, reflecting transatlantic exchange fostered through meetings at venues such as Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences (UK). Over decades the society engaged with pan-European initiatives like Human Brain Project, European Neuroscience Institute, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, and influenced policy conversations involving European Commission research directorates.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission emphasizes advancing understanding of brain–behaviour relations via interdisciplinary collaboration among laboratories affiliated with Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Institut de Neurosciences entities, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, University of Zurich, University of Amsterdam, KU Leuven, and University of Barcelona. Activities include organizing thematic symposia with participants from National Institutes of Health, Royal College of Physicians, Society for Neuroscience, American Psychological Association, European Academy of Neurology, and clinical units at Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital (New York), Guy's Hospital, and Addenbrooke's Hospital. The society promotes training and outreach in collaboration with European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Francis Crick Institute, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, Donders Institute, and Weizmann Institute of Science.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises principal investigators and trainees from institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, ETH Zurich, École Normale Supérieure, Politecnico di Milano, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Vienna, Humboldt University of Berlin, Technical University of Munich, and clinical departments at Karolinska University Hospital. Governance follows elected boards modeled after entities like Royal Society, European Research Council, and Academia Europaea, with officers who have held posts in organizations including Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, British Neuroscience Association, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie, and Società Italiana di Neurologia. The society liaises with funding agencies such as Wellcome Trust, European Commission Horizon, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Medical Research Council (UK), and philanthropic bodies like Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Simons Foundation.

Meetings and Conferences

Regular meetings occur in European centers with histories of scientific congresses such as Royal Institution, Palazzo Vecchio, Palais des Congrès de Paris, Örebro University, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Beurs van Berlage. Conferences attract presenters from universities including Princeton University, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, University of Toronto, McGill University, and research institutes like Salk Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Allen Institute for Brain Science, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Collaborative satellite events have been co-located with meetings of Society for Neuroscience, European Brain Council, European Psychiatric Association, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and specialized workshops run by Max Planck Society and EMBO.

Awards and Recognition

The society confers awards and young investigator prizes in the spirit of honors such as the Brain Prize, Kavli Prize, Lasker Award, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Shepherd Award, and domain-specific recognitions like the Cajal Medal and Ferrier Award. Recipients frequently hail from institutions such as University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School, University College London, Karolinska Institutet, and Max Planck Institutes. Award ceremonies often coincide with major neuroscience meetings hosted in cities with notable venues like Vienna, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Rome, and Stockholm.

Publications and Research Contributions

The society supports dissemination through special issues and proceedings in journals and outlets linked to Nature Neuroscience, Neuron (journal), Journal of Neuroscience, Lancet Neurology, Brain (journal), European Journal of Neuroscience, Trends in Neurosciences, Cerebral Cortex, NeuroImage, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, and Nature Communications. Contributions by members have advanced models originating from laboratories at MIT McGovern Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, Washington University in St. Louis, and Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (UCL), impacting subfields represented at conferences of Society for Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and European Psychiatric Association. The society encourages data sharing practices resonant with initiatives by Human Connectome Project, Open Science Framework, EBRAINS, and repositories maintained by European Bioinformatics Institute.

Category:Neuroscience organizations